Story by Forrest Welk
Photo by Ben McBee
Society often dictates that passionate people need many years of experience before they can perfect their craft. Whether that skill is engineering, sports, or acting – the competition is just too great for less experienced hopefuls to succeed. Comedy is no exception to this belief. Making people laugh is a challenging art that relies on centuries of recycled material. People have seen it all.
Based on this idea, it is somewhat of a mystery to why UO comedian Joe Glasgow is so successful. After all, he has only been performing stand-up comedy for 2 years, beginning his career as a freshman at UO. He’s come a long way. At the end of November, Joe was named winner of the Quackin’ Me Up comedy competition, a gathering of comedians to determine who can leave the crowd in the biggest frenzy of laughs.
Most respected comedians have been performing for decades, making Joe’s quick rise in the Eugene comedy scene even more impressive. I sat down with Joe to uncover his success, trying to gauge what makes him appealing to crowds and how he comes up with his material.
“It’s tough to sit down and write something funny. I can never do that. Mostly, I think of something or see something happen and make a note of it. Throughout the day, I’ll talk it out in my head. But honestly, showers are where I get all of my stand-up material. It’s just the most relaxing place for my mind to come up with material.”
Talking to Joe, it was easy to see why people think he is so funny. He seemed relatable, easy-going, relaxed, and confident in his answers. Nothing seemed rehearsed, and even though much of stand-up comedy is rehearsed, his personality is what really sets him apart. He has a natural sense of humor, and doesn’t try to force his jokes. Still, despite his obvious comedic traits, Joe credits much of his success to longtime comedian Patton Oswalt, whom he met last year. From King of Queens to Ratatouille, Oswald’s 20-plus year career provided many influences for Glasgow’s young journey.
“It was so hard to listen what he was saying because I was so star struck. He told me not to put myself out there yet – like on YouTube. He was really big on me getting my own open mic and forming a small group. Do anything to pressure yourself. If you’re with other people, you’re going to be more motivated to do something”
That inspired Joe to stay committed to the UO Stand-Up Comedy Club, which he helped form 2 years ago. The group started with him and a small group of friends “shooting jokes back and forth”. The group became more organized a year later, as the interest in their comedy grew. However, the basic principle of keeping a small group has stayed true.
“If we had too many people, it wouldn’t work. It’s still intimate, and you can still help other people with their jokes and get ideas from them.”
The group hosts weekly meetings with 10-15 people, a perfect amount for this kind of club. However, this also means that comedy in Eugene is relatively underground, though it is growing. Joe and other Eugene comedians have worked from the ground up, as the comedy scene 5 years ago was “basically nothing.”
Joe originally planned to go to San Francisco this year to expand his audience in comedy. However, he decided against it at the last minute to help continue to grow comedy’s presence in Eugene.
“I’m in a really good place in Eugene right now. I want to come up with Eugene comedy. It’s slowly getting better – there’s more open mics, and our presence as the Stand-Up Society is really helping.”
That doesn’t mean that Joe doesn’t want to pursue other endeavors eventually. In fact, he is spending the upcoming summer in Los Angeles to practice his comedy. While there, he plans on getting an internship in either comedy or his other major interest: video production. Joe often performs in skits with friends and hosts his own YouTube channel. These sketches are mostly produced under the Duck TV brand. Not only does Joe help edit and produce these films, he also performs as an actor in them. Using this wide variety of skills, Joe hopes to take his presence to the next level in California.
It’s safe to say that Joe Glasgow simply wants to entertain people, whether in stand-up comedy or otherwise. Based on where he was 2 years ago, it’s amazing to see how far he’s come in such a short time. After graduation, the plan is to continue to pursue his passions and “just see what happens.” Knowing Joe, it’s easy to believe he will succeed.

Gallery • 1 Photos

Glasgow had the opportunity to meet one of his inspirations, Patton Oswalt, a famous stand-up comedian and actor from the long running TV sitcom The King of Queens.